Lightweight, Ren Yawei (8-3) Vs. Deni Daffa (6-1)
Ren Yawei
-N/A
-N/A
Deni Daffa
-Good judo
-Uses length well
-Dangerous submissions in transitions
-Shoots from too far out
-Hads kept too low
-Poor position control
-Poor cardio
-Terrible off his back
-Throws naked kicks
-Poor TDD
At first, I thought Daffa was a solid prospect, but that’s not the case, unfortunately. He’s primarily a submission specialist with strong judo throws, but beyond that, his skill set has notable flaws.
On the feet, he does well at range, using his length to score and avoid damage. However, he suffers from classic “tall man’s defense,” keeping his hands low and his chin exposed. When he throws strikes or moves backward, his chin remains a constant target.
His takedown defense holds up in open space but falters against chain wrestling and cage pressure. While he can be dangerous off his back, once opponents pass his guard, he tends to flatten out and struggle to recover. His best moments come from explosive scrambles, where he either secures top position or locks in a submission.
Ultimately, his success is often a 50/50 gamble, and as the competition level rises, those odds only get worse.
Prediction: I don’t know much about Ren, but I know enough about Daffa to be hesitant in picking him. Ren comes from a Sanda background and transitioned from kickboxing into MMA, so I’d expect him to have the striking edge in this matchup.
While his ground game is still a bit of a question mark, he appears to be well-rounded enough to handle Daffa’s threats. Based on that, my pick is Ren by decision.
